Disease Mechanisms of Prenatal and Pediatric Hydrocephalus (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed) | PA 18 622

Opportunity Information: Apply for PA 18 622

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding opportunity titled "Disease Mechanisms of Prenatal and Pediatric Hydrocephalus (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" (Funding Opportunity Number: PA 18 622; CFDA: 93.853) is a discretionary grant program that supports hypothesis-driven, non-clinical-trial research aimed at explaining how hydrocephalus develops before birth and during childhood. The core goal is not simply to describe the condition, but to generate mechanistic, testable insights into why hydrocephalus arises and progresses in prenatal and pediatric settings, with an emphasis on foundational biology that can eventually inform prevention, diagnosis, and better therapeutic strategies.

The scientific scope centers on two broad categories of causation. First, the FOA encourages studies of developmental (intrinsic) etiologies, including genetic contributors and other internal developmental factors that predispose the fetal or pediatric brain to abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) dynamics and ventricular enlargement. Second, it also seeks research on acquired (extrinsic) etiologies, particularly those relevant to early life such as hemorrhage and infection, which can disrupt CSF circulation or absorption and trigger hydrocephalus. Across both categories, NIH is looking for projects that dig into molecular, cellular, and developmental pathways that drive disease pathogenesis, meaning applicants should frame their work around specific mechanisms (for example, how particular gene variants alter neural development, how inflammation changes ventricular lining function, or how blood products after hemorrhage interfere with CSF flow and absorption).

Because the activity mechanism is an R01, the program is designed for substantive, mature research projects that can support a well-developed set of aims and rigorous experimental plans. The "Clinical Trial Not Allowed" designation means the proposed work should not be a prospective clinical trial designed to evaluate an intervention in human participants. In practical terms, the emphasis is on basic, translational, and mechanistic studies rather than interventional clinical testing, even if the long-term intent is to enable future clinical advances. Applicants should therefore align their approach with mechanistic discovery, such as disease modeling, biological pathway analysis, developmental neurobiology, genetics, and related experimental strategies that explain causality and progression.

Eligibility is intentionally broad. In addition to typical academic and research institutions, eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; non-federally recognized Native American tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (outside of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other organizational types. The FOA also explicitly notes inclusion of Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), eligible federal agencies, faith-based or community-based organizations, U.S. territories or possessions, regional organizations, and even non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities (foreign organizations). This broad eligibility reflects NIH's interest in drawing on a wide range of scientific expertise and institutional settings to address the complex biology of hydrocephalus.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was created on February 1, 2018, and the original closing date listed is September 7, 2021. The listing does not specify an award ceiling, nor does it provide an expected number of awards in the provided source data, which is common in some NIH FOA summaries where budgets and award counts depend on annual appropriations, institute priorities, and the quality of the applicant pool. Overall, the announcement is best read as a call for strong, mechanism-focused R01 applications that explain how prenatal and pediatric hydrocephalus starts and evolves, especially through genetic/developmental drivers and through early-life insults like hemorrhage and infection, without proposing a clinical trial.

• The National Institutes of Health in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Disease Mechanisms of Prenatal and Pediatric Hydrocephalus (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.853.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2018-02-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-09-07. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

Apply for PA 18 622

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